Hadhrat Khwaja Abul Hasan Khirqani (May Allah shower His Mercy on him)

(May Allah shower His Mercy on him)

 

Hadhrat Khwaja Abul Hasan Khirqani (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) was born a long time after the demise of his guide and mentor, Hadhrat Bayazeed Bustami (May Allah shower His Mercy on him).  In these 150 years, the Islamic world had changed a lot.  The center had become considerably weak and the provinces were ruled autonomously.  They would take the name of the Abbasid Caliph in their sermons and would claim to obey them, but in reality were independent. 

 

Prophecy of his birth

 

It was the custom of Hadhrat Bayazeed (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) that he would go to visit the graves of the martyrs in Dihastaan every year.  When he would reach Khirqan, which was a small hamlet near Bustam, he would stop and sniff as if he were smelling something.  The disciples would say:  We aren’t able to smell any fragrance.  What are you sniffing?  Hadhrat Bayazeed would say:  I smell the fragrance of a man from this village.  His name will be ‘Ali and his Kuniyah will be Abul Hasan.  He will have 3 things more than me:  First, he will be encumbered by relatives, second he will farm and third, he will plant trees.  Maulana Rumi has also penned this incident in his Mathnawi in a long poem.

 

His birth and spiritual training

 

Khwaja Abul Hasan Khirqani (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) was born after the demise of Hadhrat Bayazeed Bustami (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) and thus, he gained spiritual blessings through the Owaisi path.

 

It was his custom that every night, he would offer Salaat Ul ‘Isha in Khirqan with congregation and would then go on to Bustam to the blessed grave of Hadhrat Bayazeed Bustam (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) and spend the whole night at his grave in meditation and prayers.  He would supplicate:  O Allah!  Grant Abul Hasan also the robe that you have granted Hadhrat Bayazeed (May Allah shower His Mercy on him).  Then he would return to Khirqan before dawn and offer Salaat Ul Fajr with the ablution of Salaat Ul ‘Isha itself.  While returning, he wouldn’t turn his back to the grave of Hadhrat Bayazeed (May Allah shower His Mercy on him).

 

After 12 years, he heard a voice from the grave:  O Abul Hasan!  The time has come for you to sit (i.e. preach).  He said:  I am without knowledge.  The reply came:  Whatever you have asked from the Lord Almighty, you have been granted.

 

When he returned, he knew the Holy Quran by heart and the Shariah and spiritual sciences were all revealed to him.

 

The Khwaja and Mahmood Ghaznawi

 

Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi had heard of the Khwaja.  Once, he came to visit him.  He sent an attendant to the Khwaja to call him and commanded the attendant that if the Khwaja doesn’t come, then recite the following verse of the Holy Quran to him:

 

O believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) and those (men of truth) who hold command amongst you.  Surah Nisa (4:159)

 

The messenger took the king’s message to the Khwaja and the Khwaja refused to come.  Then the messenger recited the aforementioned verse of the Holy Quran to the Khwaja.  The Khwaja replied:  I am so busy in following Almighty Allah that I am embarrassed about following the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), then following the kings is still a far cry.

 

When Ghaznawi heard of this, he wept and ordered the royal entourage to get ready to visit the Khwaja.  Even at this time, Ghaznawi wanted to test the Khwaja.  He called slave-girls and made them wear masculine clothing.  He then attired his favorite slave Ayaaz as the king and he himself dressed as a slave.  Then this entourage reached the Khwaja.

 

They greeted the Khwaja with Salaam.  The Khwaja returned the greeting but didn’t stand up for the king.  He looked hard at Mahmood who was dressed as a slave and didn’t pay any attention of Ayaaz who was dressed royally.

 

Mahmood prompted:  You are not showing respect to the king.  The Khwaja said:  This is all deception.  He then took Mahmood by the hand and said:  Step forward.

 

Now Mahmood sat down before the Khwaja.  He requested the Khwaja to say something.  The Khwaja gestured towards the slave-girls dressed as men and said:  First send them out.  Mahmood sent them outside.

 

Now the mood of the meeting had changed.  The king requested the Khwaja to tell him something of Hadhrat Bayazeed (May Allah shower His Mercy on him).  The Khwaja said:  Hadhrat Bayazeed (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) said:  Wretchedness leaves that person who sees me.

 

On this, Mahmood said:  Was Hadhrat Bayazeed (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) greater than the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)?  Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab saw Him but remained wretches.

 

The Khwaja retorted:  Control your tongue and don’t step out of your bounds.  Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab saw their nephew.  They didn’t see the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) at all.  The Holy Quran says this:

 

…they were looking at you, whereas they do not see anything.  Surah A’araaf (7:198)

 

Mahmood liked this and said:  Please advise me.

 

The Khwaja said:  Always be careful of 4 things.  First and foremost stay away from forbidden things, second offer Salaat with congregation, third, be generous and fourth, be affectionate with the creation of Allah.

 

Now Mahmood said:  Please pray for me.

 

The Khwaja said:  I supplicate daily:  O Allah!  Forgive all Muslim men and women.

 

Mahmood said:  Pray for me specially. 

 

The Khwaja said:  O Mahmood!  Let your outcome in the hereafter be also Mahmood (i.e. praiseworthy).

 

Then Mahmood presented a bag full of gold coins.  The Khwaja gave him dry barley bread and asked him to eat it.  Mahmood couldn’t swallow the dry bread.  The Khwaja asked him:  Does the bread get stuck in your throat?  He replied in the affirmative.  The Khwaja said:  Your gold coins get stuck in my throat in the same manner.  He didn’t accept anything from Mahmood.

 

Mahmood said:  At least, give me something.

 

The Khwaja handed over his cloak to him and said:  Pray with it in times of need.

 

When Mahmood was departing, the Khwaja got up to see him off.  Mahmood asked:  When I came, you didn’t stand for me.  Now when I am going, you are standing for me.  Why so?

 

The Khwaja said:  You had come with royal pride and to test me.  Now you are going with the humility of a dervish.

 

This spiritual relationship between the Khwaja and Mahmood remained intact.  It was a result of the Khwaja’s grace on him that Mahmood was never defeated.  Once, on the eve of a pitched battle, Mahmood held up the cloak of the Khwaja and supplicated:  O Allah!  For the sake of Khwaja Abul Hasan Khirqani, grant me victory so that I can distribute the spoils among the dervishes.

 

Mahmood won that battle.  That night, he saw the Khwaja in a dream.  The Khwaja told him:  O Mahmood!  You have belittled our cloak.  If you had supplicated that the whole country should embrace Islam, it would have happened.

 

Demise

 

At the age of 80, Khwaja Abul Hasan Khirqani (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) passed away on 10^th Muharram 445 Hijri, which corresponds to 1034 AD, in Khirqan and was buried there itself.

 

Before passing away, he had willed that his grave should be dug 30 yards deep so that it doesn’t exceed the height of the blessed grave of Hadhrat Bayazeed Bustami (May Allah shower His Mercy on him).  In his life itself, he had declared:  If one keeps a hand on my grave and supplicates, that supplication will be accepted.